Shut down, sleep, or hibernate your PC

There are many ways to shut down your PC—you can turn the PC off completely, you can make it sleep, or you can hibernate the PC.

Turn your PC off completely

To shut down:

For Windows 10

Select Start and then select Power > Shut down.

For Windows 8.1 / Windows RT 8.1

Move your mouse to the lower left-hand corner of the screen and right-click the Start button or press Windows logo key + X on your keyboard. Tap or click Shut down or sign out and choose Shut down.

For Windows 7

Click the Start button

and then click the Shut down button.

Sleep

This uses very little power, your PC starts up faster, and you’re instantly back to where you left off. You don’t have to worry that you'll lose your work because of your battery draining, because Windows automatically saves all your work and turns off the PC if the battery is too low. Use sleep when you’re going to be away from your PC for just a little while—like when you’re taking a coffee break.

For a lot of PCs (especially laptops and tablets), your PC goes to sleep when you close your lid or press the power button.

For Windows 8.1 / Windows RT 8.1, swipe in from the edge of the screen, tap Search (or if you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search), enter Power options in the search box, and then tap or click Power options.

For Windows 7, click the Startbutton

, click Control Panel, click System and Security, and then click Power Options.

Do one of the following:

If you’re using a desktop, tablet, or laptop, select Choose what the power buttons do. Next to When I press the power button, select Sleep, and then select Save changes.

If you’re using only a laptop, select Choose what closing the lid does. Next to When I close the lid, select Sleep, and then select Save changes.

When you’re ready to make your PC sleep, just press the power button on your desktop, tablet, or laptop, or close your laptop’s lid.

On most PCs, you can resume working by pressing your PC's power button. However, not all PCs are the same. You might be able to wake it by pressing any key on the keyboard, clicking a mouse button, or opening the lid on a laptop. Check the documentation that came with your computer or go to the manufacturer's website.

Hibernate

This option was designed for laptops and might not be available for all PCs. (For example, PCs with InstantGo don't have the hibernate option.) Hibernate uses less power than sleep and when you start up the PC again, you’re back to where you left off (though not as fast as sleep).

Use hibernation when you know that you won't use your laptop or tablet for an extended period and won't have an opportunity to charge the battery during that time. First check to see if this option is available on your PC and if it is, turn it on.

For Windows 8.1 / Windows RT 8.1, swipe in from the edge of the screen, tap Search (or if you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search), enter Power options in the search box, and then tap or click Power options.

For Windows 7, click the Start button

, click Control Panel, click System and Security, and then click Power Options.

Select Choose what the power button does, and then select Change settings that are currently unavailable. Under Shutdown settings, select the Hibernate checkbox (if it's available), and then select Save changes.

Now you’ll be able to hibernate your PC in a few different ways:

For Windows 10, select Start , and then select Power > Hibernate. You can also press the Windows logo key + X on your keyboard, and then select Shut down or sign out > Hibernate.

For Windows 8.1 / Windows RT 8.1, move your mouse to the lower left-hand corner of the screen and right-click the Start button or press Windows logo key + X on your keyboard. Tap or click Shut down or sign out and choose Hibernate. Or, swipe in from the right edge of the screen and then tap Settings. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Settings.) Tap or click Power > Hibernate.

For Windows 7, click the Start button

, click the arrow next to the Shut down button, and then click Hibernate.

Note

If devices connected to your PC (like monitors, printers, or scanners) aren't working properly after waking up from sleep or hibernate, you might need to disconnect and reconnect your device or restart your PC. You should also make sure that you have the most current drivers for all of your devices.